Uconn

STORRS — By nature, UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma is a perfectionist more likely to criticize his players to inspire improvement than to lavish them with compliments.

Understanding that, it became obvious this week just how much Auriemma appreciates Stefanie Dolson when he went off on a complimentary tangent about the senior center.

Auriemma said the affable and sometimes goofy Dolson has taken a more serious approach this season, and that personality enhancement has made her an even better mentor and overall player.

"I can't imagine there's a better kid to coach in this country right now than Stefanie Dolson," Auriemma said. "And that is no disrespect to any other kid in American. I just can't imagine that there is a better player to coach right now."

Dolson provided plenty of reason for encouragement Friday evening. She played the first eight minutes and never looked hampered at all by last season's foot problems or the time she was forced to take off this summer.

She finished the 101-35 exhibition victory over Gannon University at Gampel Pavilion with eight points, six rebounds and three assists and ran the floor incredibly well.

"She has the perfect personality," Auriemma said. "She's a great teammate. She's a phenomenal passer. She makes shots when we have to make them. She helps guys on defense because she's always directing traffic. And she never comes to practice in a different state of mind every day. She just comes with the same approach every single day. Nothing varies. I thought she was really good last year. She's way better."

The Huskies, the unanimous No. 1 in the preseason AP poll announced Friday, may be way better as a team this season than they were last year, as well. Such an observation isn't based on the score of the game because Gannon, after all, is only a Division II school. But regardless of the competition, there were some encouraging signs overall for the Huskies.

The player who stood out the most was sophomore guard Moriah Jefferson. Last season, she displayed glimpses of incredible speed and reflexes, but more often she looked overwhelmed by the college game or couldn't harness her speed effectively.

Starting at point guard Fri-

See UCONN, Page 10B

day, she looked comfortable from the start as she played with energy and flash, but also played under control. She was disruptive on defense, played with great pace offensively and knived through the lane with incredible quickness.

Jefferson finished with 13 points, six assists, four steals and one turnover before leaving the game with 5:10 to play with a twisted right ankle.

"I think I was a lot more in control tonight," Jefferson said. "My pace was good, and I didn't feel like I was out of the loop. I still want to do better than that. Every game I want to get better. I had a lot of fun tonight. There was no me being confused or looking at the coaches like, 'What do I do?' It was just go out, play and have fun with my teammates."

The other player who offered Huskies fans plenty of reason for optimism was junior guard Brianna Banks. Playing her first game in nine months after missing the second half of last season, Banks didn't look like she was slowed at all by the injury. She played hard, exhibited speed, dove to the floor for a loose ball and didn't shy away from contact or hard cuts at all.

"I'm going to do that every night, and continue to get better every day," Banks said. "I felt like I did pretty good for my first day back. I was tired, extremely tired. But after I kept playing, it got a little bit easier each time I stepped on the court."

Other observations:

Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis (20 points, 8-of-11) and Breanna Stewart (21 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, three steals) are so talented and play with enough effort and savvy that they are going to pile up the stats even on those nights they seem only average.

Despite the disparity in talent and lopsided nature of the game, Mosqueda-Lewis dove after a loose ball with such force that she toppled the press table, knocked over a sportswriter and broke a chair. She said she expects that type of intensity every night.

The self-doubt and overthinking that Bria Hartley struggled with throughout the regular season last year appeared to be behind her. She played Friday with the same confidence she displayed in the NCAA Tournament and throughout the summer with USA Basketball. She finished with 12 points and four assists while shooting 3-of-4 from the field and 2-of-3 from 3-point range.

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